Every parent knows: Academic success is important to the opportunities our children will have in the future, but in order to gain that success their child must want it. Students must be willing to go to school and work hard. They must strive for success and have a vision for their future. The trick for parents and educators is to figure out how to help them be motivated!
So, how can we evaluate and help our kids be motivated for this new school year? What will actually impact their success?
Here is the list of some of the most important factors in student success:
1. Motivation and student engagement
2. Teacher quality
3. School climate
4. Parental support
5. High expectations
6. Intense guidance
7. Scaffolding
At Da Vinci Science High School in Los Angeles, educators are emphasizing “productive failure “as part of their school culture. This is the idea that students benefit from failing. Learning to recover and continuing to work hard for mastery of a subject is an important skill to develop.
There are four academic mindsets that contribute to a student’s motivation:
1. Belief in their own competency,
2. Ownership of their own learning,
3. Interest in the subject (or at least an understanding of the value of learning it),
4. A feeling of social relatedness to the school and community.
“These mindsets have a significant effect on the student’s achievement,” said Camille A Farmington, the lead researcher of Chicago Postsecondary Transition Project at the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.
Cultivating character traits such as persistence, resolution, and self-control are now part of the focus of the new “Common Core” curriculum being implemented and they are all part of self-motivation. Math Support personnel have been attending conferences and working with District personnel to align our teaching practices and curriculum to implement all aspects of Common Core as it relates to math and science.
For more information on how you can provide the extra support and motivation your child needs to succeed in math and science, call Peggy Cannistraci, credentialed math teacher, MA Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction at Math Support Services today at 661-255-1730 or visit us on the web www.mathsupportservices.com.